This invention relates to the firing of small-bore guns at moving targets and mainly at air targets which attack at low altitudes.
For obvious reasons, field training as well as real firing are attended by many difficulties such as lack of availability of training grounds, safety regulations to be observed, wasted periods spent in traveling to firing ranges and in preparations for firing, weather conditions, and in some cases the high cost of fuel consumed by motor vehicles.
Although training under real conditions remains essential, there is a tendency at the present time to carry out such training only during a final application stage after basic indoor training provided by simulators.
By means of firing simulators, different types of firing equipment with their operation and utilization characteristics can be reproduced economically and with a sufficient degree of realism and fidelity. Training can thus be provided in a systematic and flexible manner by means of reproducible exercises under the supervision of a minimum number of instructors.
The simulator in accordance with the invention is intended to provide indoor training in aiming by estimation and in firing by means of guns fitted with gunsights of the grid type shown in FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings.
When aiming by means of a reticle in the conventional manner, the shooter orients the gun in order to obtain a view of the target in the gunsight at a location with respect to said reticle which is a function of the firing conditions. Similarly, in the case of a sighting grid, the position in which the target is to be placed with respect to the different circles of said grid must be determined instinctively by the firer.
The simulator is mounted on a gun which may not be provided with its tube and is more particularly associated with the grid sight of said gun by means of optical devices and by means of a television monitor.
It is readily apparent that the simulator can also be employed on a tank or on any vehicle equipped with a gun.
The simulator causes a target and an "aiming point" to appear in the field of the gunsight. In order to obtain a correct aim, the firer then has to bring the target onto the aiming point by suitable orientation of the gun. Firing of the shot is represented in the gunsight by the appearance of tracers having trajectories which comply with the laws of ballistics. A successful shot is indicated by a higher degree of brightness of the tracer at the point of impact on the target. When the operator has acquired a certain level of experience, he is able to determine on his own initiative the circle in which the target is to be placed. The aiming point is then suppressed and the final stage of the aiming exercise consists in using the sighting grid alone.
In French Pat. No. 2 500 148, there was described a training simulator for firing small-bore guns by means of an aiming point of the type mentioned in the foregoing. This simulator relates to training with real targets.